Note: Sorry, it took me longer than expected. Here's chapter 2.
"You..." she began, still clearly shocked. She blinked a few times and took a step back. "You..."
"Helped you?" Timon finished with a crook of an eyebrow, as he climbed up off the ground.
Shenzi cocked her head to the side and stared at him, before hesitantly nodding. "Yeah..." She narrowed her eyes and lowered her head menacingly. "Why?"
Timon scratched his chin, thinking about it, before answering honestly, "I don't know. You just looked... pitiful."
"Pitiful?!" she shrieked, advancing on him. Timon gulped and began to back up fearfully, his face split into a nervous grin. But, he found he had no where else to go when he felt his back press against a rock. Shenzi leaned close to him, her nose barely touching his, and Timon drew back as best as he could. "I didn't just hear you call me pitiful."
"Pitiful?" Timon squeaked. "Oh no! I, um... well... I just found it odd that a... ah... h-hyena of your cunning and strength was here alone... and..."
"Look, Squirt, peel your lips off my hind quarters," she griped, rolling her eyes. "It's nauseating."
"You're not going to eat me?"
"I may be starving, but I'm not desperate," she replied, sitting down. "I would only use you to pick the wildebeest out of my teeth."
"You're too kind," Timon laughed nervously, slowly sliding sideways across the rock to sidestep her. Once he felt not so cornered, Timon let his body relax and he gazed up at her thoughtfully. "So, why ARE you out here?"
"Like I'd tell YOU."
"I saved your life," Timon dared carefully.
"Why do you want to know?"
"Curious."
"Curiosity killed the 'kat."
Timon sighed and turned to walk around, putting a finger to his bottom lip considerably. "Well, it's just a guess," he began, then looked pointedly at her, repeating, "ONLY a guess... but I'd say, you got yourself in a pretty 'thorny' situation, which makes it pretty tough to eat. Starving and embarrassed, you can't go to your friends... in fear that they would just laugh at you. So you run away... coming here?"
Shenzi stared at him, before she stood and walked toward him. "Don't think you have me all figured out, Maggot-Breath. Remember I can end your GUESSING game with a simple snap of my chops."
Timon chuckled uneasily and put both hands up in defense. "Alright, alright! But, you're a lady of class," he tried, watching as she slowly began to circle around him. "You... you know when a debt is due."
"Oh please!" she exclaimed. "I owe you nothing!"
Timon dropped his hands to his sides and crooked an eyebrow at her as he followed her with his eyes. "Well, if you really wanted to kill me, you would have done it by now."
"There you go again!" Shenzi snarled, stopping and shoving her nose in his face. "Thinking you can figure me out." Timon stood his ground, his eyes large, but refusing to look away from her. She stared at him for a moment, before she sat back and gave a sigh. "Bansai and Ed wouldn't understand."
Timon nodded. "I thought so."
"Yeah, well, if I were you, I wouldn't do so much thinking," she snarled.
Timon chuckled and shook his head. "You're really something."
She narrowed her eyes. "What is THAT supposed to mean?"
"Nothing! Not everything is against you, y'know."
Shenzi scoffed and looked away sharply, her jaw stuck out sullenly. "Well, with the life I live, it's hard to come across a generous individual."
Timon's eyebrows rose up. "You're calling me generous?"
"Don't let it get to your head, Toothpick," she replied.
Timon grinned, but the smile quickly vanished when the rain began to pelt down at them. Timon tilted his head back and blinked into the sky accusingly, before looking up at Shenzi. "Looks like rain," he grinned.
She just stared at him and then said dryly, "I didn't know you were funny."
"We need to find some shelter."
"We?" she repeated.
The rain worsened, soaking the pair to the bone. Timon shivered and looked up at her, shouting over the downpour, "No sense anymore, anyway!"
Shenzi rolled her eyes then moved over to him, sitting down above him and shielding him from the rain. Timon blinked and looked up at his make-shift shelter curiously, surprised that she would do such a thing.
"Thanks," he said up to her.
She peered down at him through her dripping bangs and replied, "Now, we're even."
"You..." she began, still clearly shocked. She blinked a few times and took a step back. "You..."
"Helped you?" Timon finished with a crook of an eyebrow, as he climbed up off the ground.
Shenzi cocked her head to the side and stared at him, before hesitantly nodding. "Yeah..." She narrowed her eyes and lowered her head menacingly. "Why?"
Timon scratched his chin, thinking about it, before answering honestly, "I don't know. You just looked... pitiful."
"Pitiful?!" she shrieked, advancing on him. Timon gulped and began to back up fearfully, his face split into a nervous grin. But, he found he had no where else to go when he felt his back press against a rock. Shenzi leaned close to him, her nose barely touching his, and Timon drew back as best as he could. "I didn't just hear you call me pitiful."
"Pitiful?" Timon squeaked. "Oh no! I, um... well... I just found it odd that a... ah... h-hyena of your cunning and strength was here alone... and..."
"Look, Squirt, peel your lips off my hind quarters," she griped, rolling her eyes. "It's nauseating."
"You're not going to eat me?"
"I may be starving, but I'm not desperate," she replied, sitting down. "I would only use you to pick the wildebeest out of my teeth."
"You're too kind," Timon laughed nervously, slowly sliding sideways across the rock to sidestep her. Once he felt not so cornered, Timon let his body relax and he gazed up at her thoughtfully. "So, why ARE you out here?"
"Like I'd tell YOU."
"I saved your life," Timon dared carefully.
"Why do you want to know?"
"Curious."
"Curiosity killed the 'kat."
Timon sighed and turned to walk around, putting a finger to his bottom lip considerably. "Well, it's just a guess," he began, then looked pointedly at her, repeating, "ONLY a guess... but I'd say, you got yourself in a pretty 'thorny' situation, which makes it pretty tough to eat. Starving and embarrassed, you can't go to your friends... in fear that they would just laugh at you. So you run away... coming here?"
Shenzi stared at him, before she stood and walked toward him. "Don't think you have me all figured out, Maggot-Breath. Remember I can end your GUESSING game with a simple snap of my chops."
Timon chuckled uneasily and put both hands up in defense. "Alright, alright! But, you're a lady of class," he tried, watching as she slowly began to circle around him. "You... you know when a debt is due."
"Oh please!" she exclaimed. "I owe you nothing!"
Timon dropped his hands to his sides and crooked an eyebrow at her as he followed her with his eyes. "Well, if you really wanted to kill me, you would have done it by now."
"There you go again!" Shenzi snarled, stopping and shoving her nose in his face. "Thinking you can figure me out." Timon stood his ground, his eyes large, but refusing to look away from her. She stared at him for a moment, before she sat back and gave a sigh. "Bansai and Ed wouldn't understand."
Timon nodded. "I thought so."
"Yeah, well, if I were you, I wouldn't do so much thinking," she snarled.
Timon chuckled and shook his head. "You're really something."
She narrowed her eyes. "What is THAT supposed to mean?"
"Nothing! Not everything is against you, y'know."
Shenzi scoffed and looked away sharply, her jaw stuck out sullenly. "Well, with the life I live, it's hard to come across a generous individual."
Timon's eyebrows rose up. "You're calling me generous?"
"Don't let it get to your head, Toothpick," she replied.
Timon grinned, but the smile quickly vanished when the rain began to pelt down at them. Timon tilted his head back and blinked into the sky accusingly, before looking up at Shenzi. "Looks like rain," he grinned.
She just stared at him and then said dryly, "I didn't know you were funny."
"We need to find some shelter."
"We?" she repeated.
The rain worsened, soaking the pair to the bone. Timon shivered and looked up at her, shouting over the downpour, "No sense anymore, anyway!"
Shenzi rolled her eyes then moved over to him, sitting down above him and shielding him from the rain. Timon blinked and looked up at his make-shift shelter curiously, surprised that she would do such a thing.
"Thanks," he said up to her.
She peered down at him through her dripping bangs and replied, "Now, we're even."